Introduction

Visual Studio Code is one of the most popular code editors among developers, and one of its great features is its high customizability. In this article, we'll explore how to customize VS Code's cursor animation using the Custom CSS and JS extension, giving your editor a unique and personalized feel.

---

Prerequisites

Before we begin, make sure you have:

• Visual Studio Code installed
• Basic understanding of JSON configuration

---

Installing the Required Extension

First, we need to install the "Custom UI Style" extension. This extension allows us to edit the VSCode's css and js files.

1. Open VS Code
2. Press Cmd+Shift+X (Mac) or Ctrl+Shift+X (Windows/Linux) to open the Extensions panel
3. Search for "Custom UI Style"
4. Install the extension by "subframe7536"
5. Or you can install it from here
6. Restart VS Code when prompted

---

Configuring the Cursor

Now that we have the extension installed, we'll customize the cursor. We'll be adding a glowing yellow cursor effect, but you can modify the colors and values to match your preferences.

Step 1: Open Settings

1. Press Cmd+Shift+P (Mac) or Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows/Linux)
2. Type "Open Settings (JSON)"
3. Select "Preferences: Open Settings (JSON)"

Step 2: Add Custom CSS

Add the following configuration to your settings.json:

"custom-ui-style.stylesheet": {
    ".monaco-editor .cursor": "background: linear-gradient(to bottom, #ffff00, #ffff00) !important; box-shadow: 0 0 42px 5px #ffff00, #ffff00 0px 0px 34px 1px; color: #161616 !important;",
}

Let's break down what this configuration does:

• background: linear-gradient - Creates a solid yellow cursor
• box-shadow - Adds a glowing effect around the cursor
• color - Sets the text color where the cursor is positioned

Step 3: Apply Changes

1. Save the settings.json file
2. Once you save the file, Custom UI Style will prompt you to reload VS Code.
3. Click on the "Reload" button to apply the changes.

---

Customizing the Colors

You can customize the cursor by modifying the colors in the configuration. Here are some examples:

// Blue glowing cursor
".monaco-editor .cursor": "background: linear-gradient(to bottom, #0077ff, #0077ff) !important; box-shadow: 0 0 42px 5px #0077ff, #0077ff 0px 0px 34px 1px; color: #161616 !important;"

// Green glowing cursor
".monaco-editor .cursor": "background: linear-gradient(to bottom, #00ff00, #00ff00) !important; box-shadow: 0 0 42px 5px #00ff00, #00ff00 0px 0px 34px 1px; color: #161616 !important;"

// Purple glowing cursor
".monaco-editor .cursor": "background: linear-gradient(to bottom, #ff00ff, #ff00ff) !important; box-shadow: 0 0 42px 5px #ff00ff, #ff00ff 0px 0px 34px 1px; color: #161616 !important;"

---

Troubleshooting

If you don't see the changes:

1. Make sure that the extension is properly installed
2. Try reloading VS Code completely
3. Check if there are any JSON syntax errors in your settings.json

---

Extension Link

You can find the Custom UI Style extension here: Custom UI Style on VS Code Marketplace

---

Conclusion

Customizing your VS Code cursor is a great way to personalize your development environment. While we've focused on creating a glowing cursor effect, you can experiment with different colors and styles to find what works best for you.

You can also check out the GitHub repository to get more ideas and configurations.

If you have any questions or want to share your custom cursor configurations, feel free to reach out to me on Twitter @TapanSharma__.

---